Category Archives: Competitions

Horses and Riders Head to Chile for 2011 Pan American Endurance Championship

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation has named the following horse/rider combinations for the 2011 Pan American Endurance Championship being held in Santo Domingo, Chile, October 22, 2011.

The following horse/rider combinations will represent the U.S. at the Pan American Championship (listed in ranked order):

Name/Age/Hometown/Horse/Breed/Age/Sex/Owner
John Crandell III/49/West River, MD/Heraldic/Arabian/13/Gelding/John Crandell JR
Meg Sleeper/43/Frenchtown, NJ/Syrocco Cadence/Arabian/8/Mare/Meg Sleeper
Deborah Reich/51/Croton on Hudson, NY/Pandor/Arabian/12/Gelding/Deborah Reich
Melody Blittersdorf/51/Jeffersonville, VT/Synthetic/Arabian/11/Gelding/Melody Blittersdorf
Valerie Kanavy/65/Fort Valley, VA/Spectacular Gold/Arabian/9/Gelding/Valerie Kanavy
Cheryl Van Deusen/52/New Smyrna, FL/Moro Amado/Arabian/8/Gelding/Miguel Pavlovsky

Running over a 120km course, riders will race for both Team and Individual medals.

Continue reading Horses and Riders Head to Chile for 2011 Pan American Endurance Championship

HSBC FEI Classics 2011 Finale Goes to the Wire at Pau

William Fox-Pitt claims record sixth Burghley win. Images: FEI

Lausanne (SUI), 11 October 2011 – Two British riders, long-time team mates and friends, will do battle for the HSBC FEI Classics 2011 top spot this weekend (13-16 October) at Les Etoiles de Pau (FRA), which is also the 2012 season opener.

Athletes from 17 nations will compete at the popular CCI4* in the shadow of the Pyrenees, where they have the unique opportunity to secure points for the 2012 season which for the first time includes Australia’s premier event, the Adelaide International Horse Trials (18-20 November).

HSBC FEI Classics 2011 – closely fought battle

Only series leader Mary King (GBR) or compatriot William Fox-Pitt can win this year’s HSBC FEI Classics and with just 13 points between them it will be an intense finale.

Fox-Pitt, who won the HSBC FEI Classics in 2008 and 2010, can only beat King if he wins and she finishes lower than eighth. So while he heads into Pau as the world number one in the HSBC Rankings – this time 13 points ahead of Mary and with the prospect of receiving the 50,000 USD bonus – he is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to become Series Champion and has taken advantage of Pau’s decision to allow riders to compete with three horses.

Continue reading HSBC FEI Classics 2011 Finale Goes to the Wire at Pau

Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy Win High Performance Reserve Championship at Capital Challenge Horse Show

Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy win the High Performance Hunters Reserve Championship at the Capital Challenge Horse Show. Photo: Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

Buffalo, NY – October 10, 2011 – SBS Farms returned home yesterday from the prestigious Capital Challenge Horse Show held in Marlboro, MD. The event has seen some of the most respected riders of the industry showing for the top honors in the competitive hunter divisions. SBS Farms’ professional rider and trainer Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy captured the judges’ attention in the High Performance Hunter division earning the reserve tricolor.

The nine-year-old Hanoverian gelding has built an extensive hunter record during his time with Alfano, winning events such as the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at the Devon Horse Show for two consecutive years. The talented duo claimed third place in their first three High Performance Hunter classes at Capital Challenge, as well as the first place prize in the High Performance Handy Hunter Stake. Their top awards earned the pair the reserve championship just behind Hunt Tosh and Rosalynn.

“I was really happy with our rounds at the Capital Challenge,” explained Alfano. “Jersey Boy and I have a great relationship, and we know what to expect from one another when we are out there. He was really good, a little spooky during the first class, which he can be; however, he stayed really consistent earning third in every class, and then won the handy. He was amazing in the handy, I was really happy with him.”

Continue reading Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy Win High Performance Reserve Championship at Capital Challenge Horse Show

Samantha Schaefer Triumphs in 2011 USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – East

Samantha Schaefer (Parker/Russell- The Book LLC)

Gladstone, NJ – The 2011 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – East concluded on Sunday afternoon with an exciting victory for 18-year-old Samantha Schaefer of Westminster, MD. Showing over two beautiful autumn days at the USET Foundation Headquarters in Gladstone, NJ, eighty-four hopefuls came out to show this weekend in the 30th annual competition. Schaefer earned the win with high scores across the board in a head-to-head final four jump-off.

Judges Jimmy Lee and George Morris scored riders through three phases of competition this weekend, including flat work, gymnastics and jumping. Riders cumulative scores were totaled through each phase and the top four riders were then brought back for a final ride-off, competing on their own horses as well as the three other competitor’s horses. Riders returned for the final round with a clean slate, earning new scores for each individual ride.

At the conclusion of the flat and gymnastics phases, rider Lillie Keenan held the lead coming into the final day of competition, followed closely by Hayley Barnhill, Samantha Schaefer, and Schaefer Raposa. Keenan had a disappointing score in the jumping round however, and dropped out of the top four. Michael Murphy on the other hand performed consistently in both phases I and II and excelled in the jumping round to secure a position in the final ride-off. Barnhill, Schaefer, Raposa, and Murphy were the elite four to compete in the final phase of competition.

Continue reading Samantha Schaefer Triumphs in 2011 USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – East

Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere Jump Immaculately to Land in the Top 15 at the Boekelo CCI3*

Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere (Stock Image Services.com)

Lexington, KY – Boyd Martin carried the torch for the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team on the final day of the Boekelo CCI3*. Riding Otis Barbotiere and Remington XXV, Martin (West Grove, PA) produced two top 35 results in his first attempt at the Dutch premiere CCI3*.

Jumping first on Remington XXV, owned by Henley House Stables, Martin had rails at fence seven and the first element of the combination at 11 adding eight faults. They finished in 35th place on a score of 69.8.

In his first attempt at the CCI3* level Otis Barbotiere produced a clear round to climb up the leaderboard finishing in 14th place. The gelding owned by the Otis Barbotiere Syndicate made an ascent up the standings throughout the weekend after placing 55th in the dressage and moving up to 23rd following the cross country and finally landing within the top 15.

All involved with the American squad this week were extremely impressed with the nine-year-old’s performance over the weekend.

Continue reading Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere Jump Immaculately to Land in the Top 15 at the Boekelo CCI3*

Junior and Amateur Riders Win Big Money, SmartPak Grand Circuit Champions Are Crowned, and the Road to America’s Richest Classes Begins Again at Culpeper Finals

© ESI Photography. Laura Linback and Casino on course in the $25,000 Junior/ Amateur-Owner Jumper High Classic.

CULPEPER, VIRGINIA (October 7, 2011) — Six weeks of show jumping, which started in April at HITS Commonwealth Park, concluded this past Sunday with big prize money, record-breaking entries and tons of exciting year-end show jumping at the Culpeper Finals. The final show week of the year for the HITS calendar delivered and set a promising precedent for next year’s show jumping opportunities.

After the 2011 Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix drew crowds to HITS-on-the-Hudson as the top Grand Prix and Hunter riders from around the world rode for serious prize money, momentum was building for the Culpeper Finals. Riders caught Pfizer Million fever and transitioned from HITS-on-the-Hudson to Culpeper with ease to get a jumpstart on qualifying for the 2012 $1 Million Grand Prix. Commonwealth Park attracted impressive numbers for last week’s special year-end classes, serving as a strong finish to the HITS’ show jumping circuits.

$25,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper High Classic
Junior and Amateur-Owner Jumper riders were rewarded with a $25,000 purse in the High Classic on Sunday as a field of 18 competed over a course designed by Olaf Petersen Sr. of Paehl, Germany. Amateur rider and seasoned Grand Prix veteran Laura Linback of Mundelin, Illinois took home the blue ribbon after posting the fastest double-clear effort aboard Woodrun’s Casino.

Continue reading Junior and Amateur Riders Win Big Money, SmartPak Grand Circuit Champions Are Crowned, and the Road to America’s Richest Classes Begins Again at Culpeper Finals

US Equestrian Delegation Heads to the 2011 Pan American Games – By the Numbers

The United States Equestrian Federation’s (USEF) delegation packs up and begins to head South of the Border next week – get ready Guadalajara. Dressage lands first on October 11. Eventing follows on the 15th and Jumping comes in on the 21st. Equestrian is represented by 14 athletes who make up 627 athletes heading to Mexico to represent the United States. Of the 79 Olympians represented in the entire U.S. Team – three are from the sport of equestrian.

This delegation includes (in alphabetical order within each group):

14 horses (3 mares and 11 geldings; 8 bay or brown, 3 chestnut and 3 grey)
Dressage: Big Tyme, Grandioso, Paragon, Weltino’s Magic
Eventing: Absolute Liberty, Ballingowan Pizazz, Downtown Harrison, Harbour Pilot, Schoensgreen Hanni
Jumping: Antares F, Coral Reef’s Via Volo, Romantovich Take One, Uceko, Urico (reserve)

14 riders from eight states (CA, CT, FL, GA, IL, NJ, NY, VA)
Dressage: Heather Blitz, Marisa Festerling, Cesar Parra, Steffen Peters
Eventing: Hannah Sue Burnett, Buck Davidson, Jonathan Holling, Shannon Lilley, Michael Pollard
Jumping: Mario Deslauriers (reserve,) Kent Farrington, Beezie Madden, Christine McCrea, McLain Ward

Continue reading US Equestrian Delegation Heads to the 2011 Pan American Games – By the Numbers

Lillie Keenan Leads Opening Day at 2011 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – East

Gladstone, NJ – Fourteen-year-old Lillie Keenan, of New York, NY, was a front runner today in the first two rounds of competition for the 2011 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – East. Held at the USET Foundation Headquarters in Gladstone, NJ, the Talent Search Finals celebrate a momentous 30th anniversary this year. With Finals held each year on the east and west coasts, this program has produced some of the country’s top jumping riders, including McLain Ward, Richard Spooner, Lauren Hough, and Meredith Micheals-Beerbaum.

Looking to fill those shoes, eighty-four of the country’s top young riders traveled to Gladstone for this weekend’s competition. The Finals are held in a demanding four round championship format. Today’s competition featured the flat and gymnastics phases, and tomorrow will highlight the jumping phase and final ride-off.

Beginning in the morning, all riders were scored on the flat for Phase I and then returned in the afternoon for Phase II according to those scores. Judging and course designing for the weekend are two of the country’s most eminent equestrians, George Morris and Jimmy Lee.

Continue reading Lillie Keenan Leads Opening Day at 2011 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – East

Martin Produces Two Clear Jumping Rounds on the Cross Country at the 2011 Boekelo CCI3*

Lexington, KY – Soggy footing coupled with Sue Benson’s demanding cross country track saw a massive shake-up of the leaderboard at the 2011 Boekelo CCI3*.  Boyd Martin led the charge of the Land Rover U.S. Eventing piloting two horses around the course with no jumping faults.

Martin (West Grove, PA) lies 23rd and 32nd with Otis Barbotiere and Remington XXV, respectively, heading into the show jumping. The Otis Barbotiere Syndicate’s gelding finished just over the optimum time, collecting 4.4 time faults, and now stands on a score of 60. Remington XXV, owned by Henley House Stables, found the heavy going challenging adding 16 time faults and has a two-day score of 61.8. Despite the less than ideal conditions, Martin was very pleased with the effort and class his horses displayed today.

“Remington found the going tough but he just kept going and going. Otis is definitely proving he is a horse for the future. He jumped around pretty well today,” Martin said. “Today was very influential to the competition. It was very muddy and wet; the footing deteriorated as the day went on.”

New Zealand’s Mark Todd leads the competition with NZB Campino on a score of 41.4.

Continue reading Martin Produces Two Clear Jumping Rounds on the Cross Country at the 2011 Boekelo CCI3*

Land Rover US Eventing Team Fifth after Dressage at Boekelo CCI3*

The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team lies fifth out of 13 teams after the first day of dressage at the 2011 Boekelo CCI3* on a combined score of 152.8. The team is led by Team veteran Boyd Martin, who is in eighth place with Henley House Stables’ Remington XXV. They did their dressage test on Thursday.

Great Britain leads the way in the team competition on a score of 137.40 – they are followed by Germany, Ireland, Sweden and then the U.S. All five are within 15.4 points.  The U.S. is competing without the luxury of a drop score – so all three riders’ scores will count in each phase.

Complete team scores are available here: http://janssen.sportcg.net/2011/boekelo/nationcup01.html.

In Friday dressage action, Michael Pollard (Dalton, GA) backed up Martin’s score with 52.8 on Nathalie Pollard, Carl Bouckaert and his own DV8. They are in 41st. Right behind him on 54.8 is Tamra Smith (Murrieta, CA) on Leigh Mesher’s Mar de Amor. Martin (West Grove, PA) is also riding Otis Barbotiere for the Otis Barbotiere Syndicate as an individual. They scored 55.6 to round out the U.S. effort. All of these horses are in the top half of the field of 109 starters.

Continue reading Land Rover US Eventing Team Fifth after Dressage at Boekelo CCI3*